NMM: Jordan Feliz

10/19/2015

Photo: Chris White Jordan Feliz started out as a heavy-metal singer, then switched to become a worship leader and then signed a record...

Photo: Chris White

Jordan Feliz started out as a heavy-metal singer, then switched to become a worship leader and then signed a record deal as a songwriter and R&B groove-pop artist. It's a long - and awesome - journey as an artist, that's for sure.

That journey has now produced a debut album - Beloved - which incorporates Feliz's talents as a singer/songwriter. Just a couple weeks into its Oct. 1 release, Beloved is featured in the "New Music" section for the Christian/Gospel genre on iTunes and has garnered a five-star rating from reviewers - including yours truly. But more on that in a few.

According to his bio, Feliz began his musical journey fronting the West Coast band, A Current Affair. This gave him the opportunity straight out of high school to showcase his masterful vocals. The band performed on the Warped Tour and other popular gigs before dissolving. Feliz's bio states that heavy metal was never really his true calling, as he grew up listening to the likes of R&B greats Sam Cooke and Earth, Wind & Fire. No doubt, Feliz knew that groove, funk and soul would form his musical foundation. According to his bio, Feliz made the move from California to Nahsville, Tenn. and was invited to an unsigned artists retreat hosted by Centricity Music. Feliz's songwriting, vocal ability and personality later earned him a record deal with Centricity Music and the quest to record an album began.

Beloved is produced by Colby Wedgeworth (Lincoln Brewster) and Josh Silverberg (Newsboys). It's rare that I like every song on an album, but that's indeed the case with this one. Feliz admits on his bio that he's a "big melody guy" and you definitely get that with this album. You also get pieces of Feliz's R&B-groove-funk upbringing, all wrapped into one nice package. From radio-ready tunes like "The River," to a more reflective "Satisfied" - even a cover of Ed Sheeran's "Photograph" - Beloved has it all. If I could give it 10 stars, I would.